That said, his expressions of affection are powerful, even if they are economical, and his actions are entirely authentic. A relationship with a sight hound is granted, not assumed. He will, therefore, not necessarily love your new roommate just because you think she is nice. And he may find her puppy to be a complete nightmare and refuse to befriend the little thing.

On the whole, he will be fair and transparent about all of his positions. It will be your task to meet him there and find compromise. Your hope that he will do as he is told or cooperate because you said so will not be effective, and harsh yelling or physical corrections can be seriously damaging to your bond. These kinds of approaches not only fail to convince him of your authority; they will cause great harm to the trust and respect he has for you. To embrace a sight hound is to embrace the higher road of relationship with a dog, the payouts of which are immeasurable.

KEY CONCEPT: Good Management

Good management with your dog is about far more than simply preventing an undesirable or problematic behavior from occurring by means of physical restraint and practical prevention. It is about the creation of a global atmosphere of success through proactive steps. While every dog-human relationship can benefit from the practice of good management, it is rarely clearer than when partnering with a sight hound.

As a dog steward, you are responsible for your dog virtually all of the time. He is very rarely, if ever, responsible for you. This means that you get the promotion to management, whether you’re really up for it or not. Step up to the plate and get it together for everyone’s benefit—for you, for your dog, and for everyone else who will interact with him. You are the one who needs to be paying attention, thinking ahead, planning, taking precautions, and making good decisions.

He sure as heck doesn’t know about the dangers of cars on the freeway, or the fallout of neighbor relations and lawsuits resulting from injured pet cats mistaken as prey. The extreme frustration you feel after spending hours chasing him around the park every night when he won’t respond to “Come!” is not his problem—he might think that you’re the one in denial about the circumstances. There are no rabbits in his training class, after all.

Sophisticated as he is, your sight hound is all instinct. Don’t make your job of living together harder than it has to be. Manage him well.